Amplify Her® leadership network Co-CHAIRS
Aamina Awan-Khan
Aamina Awan-Khan is a Senior Advisor and Chief Partnerships Officer at the Global Engagement Center at the U.S. Department of State. With more than 15 years of experience in cross-functional stakeholder partnerships, project development, and management, Aamina has created and led programs in the areas of education, technology, and community engagement. She brings a multi-sectoral perspective, leveraging prior experience working with governments, corporations, academic institutions, and civil partners in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to joining the government, Aamina began her tri-sectoral career at Credit Suisse. She has also held management roles at the Clinton Foundation and the United Nations. A 2022 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former U.S. Fulbright to the Kingdom of Bahrain, Aamina holds a BA degree in International Relations and Political Science from Fairfield University and a MSc degree in Gender and International Development from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Chirlie Felix
Chirlie Felix is a Managing Director at FSG, a global nonprofit consulting firm that partners with foundations and corporations to create equitable systems of change. At FSG, Chirlie supports corporate and philanthropic clients on educational equity, corporate social responsibility, strategic planning, organizational development, and community engagement. Prior to joining FSG, Chirlie was a Senior Strategic Advisor at Teach For All, and an Education Pioneers Fellow as a consultant for the Newark Legacy Charter School. Chirlie has been an equity advocate since her youth, first as a student board member of the Aspira Association of New York and as a U.S. Fulbright scholar undertaking research on racial equity in education in Brazil. While there she worked for the Steve Biko Cultural Institute, a nonprofit organization with the goal of growing educational opportunities for Afro-Brazilian students. Chirlie received her BA in Sociology and International Relations from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and her MPA from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service.
Maia Molina-Schaefer
Maia Molina-Schaefer is an Army Sub-Saharan African Foreign Area Officer (FAO), serving in the U.S. Armed Forces since 2005. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Maia was commissioned as a Marine Corps Intelligence Officer. During her ten years as a Marine, Maia completed multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, and earned a Master’s degree in National Security Affairs. In 2015, Maia transferred to the U.S. Army as a Sub-Saharan Africa FAO, and was posted at the U.S. Africa Command and the U.S. Embassy, Niamey, Niger as the Chief of the Office of Security Cooperation. Maia managed, executed, and planned Department of Defense security cooperation activities with the Nigerian Defense Force, and spearheaded Women, Peace, and Security efforts. Maia is an Assistant Professor of French at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the Officer-in-Charge of the Corbin Women’s Leadership Forum. Throughout her career, Maia has written articles, served on panels, and created organizations advocating for the advancement of women and diversity in the military and beyond.
Amplify Her® leadership network MEMBERS
Darlene Blanco
Darlene is the Head of Workforce and Talent Development at the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce where she develops strategies to advance talent pipelines on Staten Island. Prior to joining the Chamber, Darlene worked closely with executive leaders across various industries including life insurance, retirement planning, fintech, healthcare administration, and green energy. She also served as co-chairwoman of AXA Equitable Life’s Hispanic Employee Resource Group, leading volunteer initiatives targeting community outreach and promoting equity and inclusion. Darlene developed the Voyage Education Services Team, dedicated to leadership development, public speaking, and education, and designed and implemented the Internship Experience corporate model, providing high schoolers the opportunity to experience the corporate setting. A U.S. Chamber Business Lead Fellow, Darlene holds a master of arts in executive leadership from Liberty University and a bachelor of arts in corporate communications from Baruch College.
Chantal Bonitto
Chantal Bonitto is Senior Managing Director of Principal Gifts at UNICEF USA. Chantal is an organizational leader in the space of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and a seasoned fund development expert in the nonprofit sector. Chantal spearheaded a new fundraising program focusing on next-gen philanthropists and donors of color at Planned Parenthood Federation of America as the Founding Director of Inclusive Philanthropy in 2019. Beyond her current role at UNICEF, she is a Senior Consultant with the Inclusion Firm, working with organizations who desire systemic and cultural change. She also serves on the board of Women in Development New York and Community Resource Exchange (CRE). She is on the Advisory Committee for WOC: Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy and is a Co-Creator of Women Writing Philanthropy: Writing Clinic Program with the Feminist Press. Chantal is a graduate of Oberlin College, a recipient of the Fundraising Strategy Certificate Program at The George Heyman, Jr. Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising at New York University, and a 21/64 certified philanthropic advisor.
Nikita Desai
Nikita Desai is the Associate Director of East Coast Philanthropy at The Asia Foundation, an international development organization committed to improving lives and expanding opportunities across Asia and the Pacific. In her role, Nikita spearheads individual giving and event strategies, cultivating a network of 180 philanthropists, foundations, and partners who share the Foundation’s vision for a more inclusive and prosperous Asia. She leads a cross-functional team in executing a flagship annual event in New York for The Asia Foundation’s Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Program. Nikita has held leadership positions at organizations such as the Korea Society, Asia Society, and the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, and consulted for the Alliance for International Women’s Rights, the World Bank, and USAID, among others. She also served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia from 2003-2005. Nikita is fluent in Spanish, Gujarati, Mongolian, and Hindi. She earned her MBA from IE Business School as a Fulbright Scholar and holds a Master of International Policy Studies specializing in Gender and International Development from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
DIANA FRANCO
Diana Franco is Vice President of Women.NYC at the New York City Economic Development Corporation. Diana is a long-standing advocate for women's economic empowerment. A serial entrepreneur by nature, she started her career on the founding team of three successful startups: Latinred, CycleLogic, and Kactoos. Diana also is the founder of Grenout, an agency focused on helping foreign entrepreneurs launch their products and services in the U.S., and co-founder of CoreWoman, a foundation aiming to empower women professionally and economically. Diana served as the Executive Director of Women Entrepreneurs (WE NYC) at the NYC Department of Small Business Services. The City of New York has publicly recognized Ms. Franco's work with two awards, in 2019 for Excellence in Public Service and 2020 for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion. Like many New Yorkers, Diana is an immigrant, originally from Medellín, Colombia.
Latressa Fulton
Latressa Fulton currently serves as Deputy Director of IT Administration at NYCHA where she oversees the $100 million operating budget and supports vendor engagement to establish effective collaborations for residents. She previously served as Senior Advisor to the First Deputy Commissioner of New York City’s Department of Information Technology and Telecommunication, and had tenures with the Ford Foundation, International Rescue Committee, and the Food Bank of NYC. Latressa is the founder of Move and Groove Yoga™, which builds community through events focusing on music, movement and mindfulness practices. Her volunteer commitments include Board Member of The James Brister Alumni Society, Advisory Board Member of the Makuu Black Cultural Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Black Ambition, The New York Women’s Foundation, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, and Girls Who Code. Latressa holds a Bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and an MPH in Health Policy and Management from the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University.
Regina Gwynn
Regina Gwynn is the Co-Founder of Black Women Talk Tech, the organization that aims to identify, support, and encourage Black women to build the next billion-dollar business. It is the largest collective of Black women tech founders. As Co-Founder, Regina co-leads business strategy, strategic partnership development, and sponsor relations. Regina launched her first tech startup in 2014 with TresseNoire, a platform that empowers women of color to celebrate their textured hair. Regina has been named one of the 100 Most Powerful Women by Entrepreneur Magazine and Top Ten Women in Tech by Essence Magazine. She’s on the cabinet for Black Entrepreneurship in the City of New York, and is a Women.NYC advisor. Regina started her career at Federated Department Stores, now Macy’s Inc. After graduating from the Kellogg School of Management with her MBA, Regina was a management consultant with the Monitor Group, now Monitor/Deloitte Consulting.
Esmeralda Herrera
Esmeralda Herrera is Director of Programs and Community Relations at Communitas America, an organization investing in local changemakers, social entrepreneurs and youth leaders in under-resourced communities through a social impact accelerator, youth leadership programs, and innovation hub. Esmeralda is an ardent advocate for the fusion of business, social impact, and the Bronx community. With a global perspective gained from her experiences in India and China, she has worked closely with international social entrepreneurs, broadening her understanding of diverse community needs. Holding a linguistics degree from Reed College, Esmeralda continuously seeks growth and learning as an alumna of the prestigious AIF Bayan Fellowship, Princeton Asia Fellowship, CORO Workforce Leadership, and Morgridge Acceleration Program Fellowship. As a tireless environmental champion, Esmeralda serves on the board of Farm School NYC and proudly fellowed at the Jane Goodall Institute, while honing her skills as a compost apprentice at Earth Matter.
Anne Hogarty
Anne Hogarty was most recently CEO of Extend Fertility, a women's healthcare company pioneering a new model for fertility services. Anne is an operations and finance executive who partners with mission-driven organizations to drive their growth. Over her career Anne has held a variety of executive positions at healthcare and tech startups. Anne also held a variety of roles at BuzzFeed as it scaled from a late-stage startup to one of the most prominent digital publishers. Anne began her career in finance, with stints at Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs. She is a lifelong New Yorker and a mother of 3 children. Anne has an A.B. in History and Literature from Harvard College and an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.
Yolanda F. Johnson
Yolanda F. Johnson leads YFJ Consulting, LLC, and is the Founder of WOC, Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy® and of Allies in Action Membership Network. She has developed strategies to raise more than $1 billion for nonprofits while also advising philanthropists and grantmakers. With her faith as her guide, Yolanda is a champion of equity for women in the sectors of fundraising, philanthropy and DEI. Previously, she was a performing artist and uses her background as a performer to view fundraising and philanthropy through a creative lens. She is a member of the Women’s Philanthropy Institute National Council and a founding member of the Women's Philanthropy Alliance, a select group of eight industry experts chosen to move forward the legacy of Kathleen Loehr, the foremost thought leader and trailblazer in women’s philanthropy.
Paulina Linares
Paulina Linares is a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company, where she has worked across various industries including technology, media and telecom, banking, and education. With a strong dedication to advancing diversity and fostering inclusion in business and STEM fields, creating actionable DEI recommendations for senior leadership and offering guidance to underrepresented founders in refining their pitch decks for funding success. Outside of her professional endeavors, she dedicates her time as a mentor in MLT's Ascend program, a college success and career readiness initiative for first-generation, low-income college students. Additionally, she volunteers with L.O.V.E Mentoring, empowering young Latinas and women from diverse backgrounds to excel academically and personally. Paulina is a first-generation college student and studied at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she earned a B.S. in Statistics and Business with a minor in Entrepreneurship.
Nayancie Matthews
Nayancie Matthews is an Associate in Pfizer's Product Portfolio Management, Strategy & Innovation team within the Global Supply Chain, where she works across all emerging markets and countries. Her responsibilities extend to championing the introduction of new pharmaceutical products in the Emerging Markets region while devising strategic initiatives tailored to diverse countries to ensure patients have access to the medicines that they need. Nayancie graduated from Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College with a Bachelor of Business Administration with a major in International Business, with minors in Finance & Investments and Spanish. Nayancie has an unwavering commitment to equity and accessibility, principles she intends to fortify through her pursuit of a JD/MBA to further propel equitable healthcare solutions.
Kaley Pillinger
Kaley Pillinger is an Affordable Housing Developer at Fairstead, where she primarily works on projects in New York City. Prior to her current role, Kaley worked in real estate at Blackstone. Outside of her day job, Kaley has worked for political candidates she believes in - most recently as Get Out the Vote Director for Mark Levine’s Manhattan Borough President campaign, and for several candidates as Manhattan Director for Amplify Her’s political arm. As a native New Yorker and nonprofit alum with the New York City Urban Debate League, Historic Districts Council, and Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven, Kaley understands the incredible impact of grant-making foundations. Kaley graduated Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude from Yale University with a joint Bachelor’s degree in Economics and History, and a Master’s degree in History.
Aruni Ranaweera
Aruni Ranaweera currently pursuing a Master of Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School where she was awarded the Public Service Fellowship for outstanding commitment to serve the public sector. Aruni is community organizer and policy advocate committed to creating more equitable and sustainable cities. Prior to returning to school, Aruni managed the Catalyst program at the New York City Parks Department’s Partnerships for Parks division, where she advanced grassroots community organizing efforts and founded Partnerships for Parks’ CommonGround initiative. Aruni served on Mayor Eric Adams’ Community Visioning Council for the Brooklyn Queens Expressway corridor redesign initiative, and was in the Leadership Committee for Transportation Alternatives’ Brooklyn Activist Committee where she worked with community boards and City Council members. Aruni graduated from Rice University with a BA in Economics and Statistics and is an alumnus of the New York University Wagner Fellowship for Emerging Leaders in Public Service.
Alexandra Ruiz
Alexandra Ruiz is the Founder and CEO of Poder Capital, a lending platform by and for the Latinx Community that uses a community-focused funding process to unlock capital for Latinx entrepreneurs. Alexandra spent over five years working for the City of New York, where she developed the City's vaccination strategy for 12-17 year olds and served as the Executive Director of Programs at the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs. Alexandra also previously founded and led a non-profit that provides services and resources to immigrant New Yorkers.
Talia Scott
Talia Scott is a JD/MBA student at New York University School of Law and Stern School of Business. Prior to graduate school, Talia spent two years as a corporate paralegal at Cravath, Swaine & Moore and will start her legal career as a corporate attorney at Davis Polk Wardwell. Talia is passionate about supporting women and increasing diversity and representation in the legal profession, and founded a non-profit organization, the Legally BLK Fund, which provides scholarships, mentorship, and resources to Black women applying to law school. Since its founding, the Legally BLK Fund has provided scholarships nationwide. Talia also has experience as a facilitator helping young women identify and implement their social justice projects. Talia was born and raised in Harlem, NY, and is a first-generation college student. Talia earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Haverford College in 2019 as a Questbridge Scholar.
Dayna Sessa
Dayna Sessa is a Biomedical Engineer and the Founder and CEO of Datanomy. She was an inaugural WE NYC Mentor for the City of New York’s initiative to empower women to start and grow companies, and an Ambassador and Advisor to the Clinton Foundation, The Center for Advancing Innovation, and TechWomen. Dayna is also a Contributor to the Huffington Post. As an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers School of Engineering, Dayna teaches a course on Healthcare Data and Technology and regularly speaks about healthcare technology, data analytics, startups, data-driven business strategy, and using data for social impact. The US Department of State sent Dayna to Rome (2022) and Nairobi (2023) to discuss how to use data to build healthier communities and support women leaders. Dayna sat on the boards of Clinton Foundation 2030, Friends of Mount Sinai, and Porvenir, a STEM-ED non-profit she Co-Dounded. She has received honors from the Tory Burch Foundation, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, named a top 10 US finalist for the Cartier Women’s Initiative, and was part of the 2017 New York State Health Trade Delegation to Africa.
MARY TAN
Mary Tan is Co-Founder of New York Women in Business (NYWIB), an organization dedicated to helping women entrepreneurs succeed. NYWIB, as a coalition of professional women’s organizations, has a combined reach of 100,000 women across the tristate area. Mary spent more than 30 years at Colgate-Palmolive working in a wide range of marketing and strategic planning roles, managing and building major brands such as Palmolive, Colgate, and Ajax both in the United States and in global markets. Mary has in-depth knowledge of branding, innovation, business development, business management and strategic planning, and marketing for businesses and nonprofits. She previously worked in retailing as well as nonprofit and publishing sectors. Mary joined SCORE, a partner resource of the Small Business Association, in 2012 and led its marketing function for two years. Since joining SCORE, she has conducted more than 2,000 mentoring sessions. Mary has a BA from Wellesley College and an MBA in Finance/Marketing from Columbia Business School.